Trick or Treat Halloween

 For: Adam and Owen
Occasion: Halloween

To help my dear nephews celebrate the candiest of all the holidays, I drew some candies (with metallic wrappers) that read "Trick or Treat". I love how this card turned out and cannot wait to hear all about the candy they collect in their epic costumes! A safe and happy Halloween to all!

Seal Thank You

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: her birthday

To thank Jennifer for being an incredible host for my trip to Astoria, OR, I did an illustration of this sweet seal with a "Thanks!" message in the background. I love the PNW subdued blues of this card! I had so much fun visiting with Jen and hiking around and exploring her new city--I can't wait to go back again soon!

Floral Birthday

 For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

To help Alyssa celebrate her birthday, I did a lovely illustration of wildflowers on top of a teal watercolor wash! I really appreciate the simple beauty of this card and hope Alyssa's year is filled with more of the same!

Iconic Look Birthday

 For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday card this year, I did a simple illustration of his most iconic/recognizable features -- his beard and mustache and glasses! I added in a party hart to signify there's a reason to celebrate! Any time I get to see Uncle Jim I am delighted--here's hoping our paths cross a bunch this year!

Good Luck Race

 For: Twin
Occasion: Good Luck!

To wish Twin luck on her running race, I did an illustration of her looking at her watch that is telling her to "Have Fun!" We have such a funny relationship with racing--I hope she did great and was able to enjoy the glorious movement of trail running!

Pumpkin Birthday

 For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

To help Tom celebrate his October birthday, I made a jack-o'-lantern with the word "happy" carved into it on top of birthday for a Happy Birthday! message. I have really enjoyed getting to see Tom when he comes out to CO for work and hope there are more conferences here soon!

Cake Birthday

 For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

Lidia loves cake and delicious treats! For her birthday card this year, I did a watercolor illustration of a sprinkle cake with lovely pink frosting and three candles. I had so much fun watercoloring this and playing with the whitespace in particular. I adore Lids and hope she has a super sweet day!

Bird Birthday

 For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

To help Daissy celebrate her birthday, I did a watercolor of a pretty nifty bird in a party hat! I love the colors of the bird contrasted with the simple illustration style of the purple background. Daissy is such an incredible person -- I hope this next year is the best yet!

Writing Birthday

 For: Johnson
Occasion: his birthday

For Justin's birthday card this year, I did an illustration of a happy little guy in a party hat with a giant pencil who is writing out "Happy Birt--" the beginnings of a "Happy Birthday" message. I love the simplicity of this card and hope Johnson has a lovely year!

Aspen Birthday

 For: Marie
Occasion: her birthday

For Marie's birthday card this year, I did an illustration of our iconic aspen trees with some interesting sky panels to add another layer of fun to the homage to Colorado' most famous autumn residents. I think it was a pretty neat idea and hope she has a great year with lots of nature to enjoy!

Mountain Birthday

 For: Conor
Occasion: his birthday

Conor is the papa of twins! For his birthday card this year, I featured an illustration of the entire family unit as mountains--he is of course the one with a party hat. I am so excited for his #twinlife journey, and hope this next year brings all kinds of adventures and a little bit of rest, too!

Goofy Birthday

 For: Krystina
Occasion: her birthday

To be perfectly silly, I made a child-like illustration of Krystina that is all head with stick arms and legs! I appreciate that coffee is still involved, which is how you know these are the drawings of an adult! Paired with a simple "It's your birthday!" message, this card struck me as the way to send birthday greetings to a dear friend. 

Sneaker Birthday

 For: Dare
Occasion: his birthday

For Dare's birthday card, I made a collage of some sweet brightly-colored kicks! I have always been fascinated by shoe culture in basketball, and know Dare is something of a connoisseur himself. Here's hoping that Dare has the very best year yet!

Cake Collage

 For: Aunt Sherry
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Aunt Sherry's birthday this year, I made this lovely floral cake collage! I had a great time picking all the colors and cutting out all the shapes, particularly the candle flames. I just so appreciate Aunt Sherry's energy and spirit and can't wait to see her at a family gathering soon--Christmas, anyone?

Galaxy Birthday

 For: Scott
Occasion: his birthday

For Scott's birthday card, I did a galaxy watercolor that reflects endless stars, like the infinity that one can see on his property in New Mexico. The text reads, "Hope your day is out of this world!" I really have enjoyed getting to know Scott and do hope he has an awesome day and an even more excellent year!

Tree Pun Birthday

 For: Renee
Occasion: her birthday

Renee 1) loves nature and trees and 2) is a master of puns and punnery! To celebrate her birthday, I created this beautiful watercolor of the crowns of trees co-existing and paired it with a pun: "Hope your day is unbe-leaf-able!" I adore Renee so and can't wait to go ramble with her again soon. 

Nice Words Birthday

 For: The Twin
Occasion: her birthday

Twin is doing lots of improv classes and plays a game with herself where she's looking for a specific random word to come up in conversation every day! It's been so fun to be an observer of her process, and so for her birthday card this year I drew up this sentiment: "You are every nice word I can think of!" I adore my dear twin and cannot wait to see her perform this weekend!

Candle Birthday

 For: Bridget
Occasion: her birthday

I made a simple series of candles with different designs all in purple on a purple background for this awesome card for Bridget. I love playing with some sparkly monochrome and hope Bridge enjoyed this card and her big day!

Bird Bear Birthday

 For: Uncle Greg
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Uncle Greg's birthday, I made a simple bear on craft paper who is being visited by a sweet bird friend in a party hat! I love how this card turned out and am hopeful that Uncle Greg will have an awesome year!

Young Anymore Birthday

 For: Marcellus
Occasion: his birthday

Somewhat perfectly, Marcellus was pretty sore when we got together to celebrate September birthdays and I gave him this card. The funny joke I spelled out in stamps is "work medium, play medium. (you're not young anymore.)" Oh, aging is glorious and a privilege, and I hope Marcellus has the best day today!

Tree Birthday

 For: Sarah
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Sarah's birthday, I created a first ever torn collage to make a beautiful tree and lake scene reminiscent of Green Lake up in Seattle. I adore my dear Sarah and am hoping she has a the very best day and year yet!

Rock Striation Birthday

 For: Michael
Occasion: his birthday

Mike is super into rocks these days, so for his birthday card I tore up all kinds of paper to make the awesome southwest rock formations! Theres a little sun on top and some clouds peaking out, too. This card was so much fun to make and I have just had the best summer learning about geology together. Here's hoping this year rocks!

Giraffe Birthday

 For: Ellie
Occasion: her birthday

This card tickles me so, and I am just delighted that it went to one of my coolest young friends! Ellie is a real treat to hang out with and babysit and I hope we get a lot more opportunities to spend time together this next year!

Sympathy Clouds

 For: Family
Occasion: In Sympathy

The day of my grandfather's funeral, there was an incredible Midwestern storm that created the most amazing cloud structures I have ever seen. To share sympathies with Mom and her siblings, I created this simple watercolor and "with sympathy" message. In a sad and beautiful way, it was lovely to get together with everyone to mark Grandpa's passing. 

Cat Birthday

 For: Sandie
Occasion: her birthday

Sandie is a cat person, so for her birthday card this year I made a collage of this sweet friend with the biggest cutest eyes and the sparkliest hat I've ever seen! I miss Sandie a lot and hope we get to connect soon to catch up on work and all that is joyful in life!

Sunshine Birthday

 For: Molly
Occasion: her birthday

Molly is a delightful, colorful, wonderful bundle of sunshine, so for her birthday card this year I drew the most colorful sun whose rays are sweetly interrupted by a party hat! It's been so great reconnecting with Molly in the consultation group and I cannot wait to keep up the momentum all year!

Tree Ring Birthday

 For: Uncle Joel
Occasion: his birthday

Mixing my sports and nature metaphors, I created this mixed media tree stump watercolor that reads "Here's to another ring." I rather like the whimsy of this card, and hope UJoel does as well! It's been quite fun chatting writing this summer and I hope this next year is full of fulfilling literary pursuits for him!

Tape Birthday

 For: Jimmy
Occasion: his birthday

For Jimmy's birthday card this year, I featured a retro audiocassette! It's a mixtape called "Happy Birthday, Jimmy!" I really love the colors and the subtle shines of this card -- it really brings me back. Here's hoping Jimmy has a great day and an even better year!

Thousand Island Thank You

 For: Dan and Janet
Occasion: Thank You

To thank The Keanes yet again for their feat of hosting us all this summer, I did a watercolor illustration of the iconic Wellesley hotel! We had a lovely dinner there on the porch and in general just had a lovely time. It takes a lot of work to create such a relaxing time for the family, and so we are very grateful for all the efforts and can't wait to go back next year. 

Running Birthday

 For: Mari
Occasion: her birthday

Mari is getting back to running, so to celebrate her birthday this year I drew a picture of her in a race where her party hat and balloon are being pulled back by her speed! Her race bib is 814 -- aka her birth date! It's been so fun chatting with Mari all these years--I can't wait to see her soon!

Bird Birthday

 For: Mollie
Occasion: her birthday

Mollie is the biggest birder I know, so for her birthday card I did a mixed media collage of a sweet little friend on a leafy branch in a party hat! I hope her day is just magical and she spots all the feathered friends she could hope for this year. 

Vase Birthday

For: Aimee
Occasion: her birthday

For Aimee's birthday card this year, I did a delightful watercolor of a beautiful vase of flowers on a yellow striped background. I don't often paint "Happy Birthday!" though this time I am tickled with how it turned out. I miss Aimee bunches and hope she has a lovely day. 

 

Colorado Birthday

 For: Adam
Occasion: his birthday

For Adam's birthday card this year, I did a watercolor take on the beautiful Colorado landscape with the iconic flag imagery as the background. This card was a lot of fun to conceptualize and create, and I hope Adam has an excellent year of outdoorsy adventures!

Watery Birthday

For: Elly

Occasion: her birthday 

I went on a bike ride and saw this lovely statue in Denver and it reminded me of Elly's love of science and creativity and all things life-giving, so I created a watercolor of the orbs and then plunked them in watercolor water! I had so much fun with this whole experience and hope Ells has the very best day.

Live Long and Birthday

For: Seth

Occasion: his birthday 

Seth loves Star Trek, so for his birthday card I pulled out some TOS lore and adapted a Vulcan sentiment to have a birthday flare (it's the tiny party hat on the pointer finger!). I hope Seth has a great day and is looking forward to a year of fun and fandom! 

Beer Birthday

For: Jack

Occasion: his birthday 

Jack is now a connoisseur of all things ale and brew, so fir his birthday card, I created a simple glass of beer with a foamy head so thick it holds a birthday candle. I hope Jack has an awesome day and an even better year! 

Mountain Birthday

For: Sharon

Occasion: her birthday 

Sharon loves the mountains, so for her birthday card I did a lovely watercolor of so many peaks in the distance with bright colors! I really love how flowy this came out and hope Sharon had a wonderful day.

Reading Birthday

For: Tommy 

Occasion: his birthday 

Tommy is a voracious reader and author, so to celebrate his birthday, I created a simplified watercolor illustration of him reading a book. It might be one of his own! I hope this year is full of lots of good stories and writing and fun in all arenas!

Teacup Birthday

For: Aunt Mary

Occasion: her birthday 

Aunt Mary is one of the biggest fans of tea I know, so for her birthday card this year, I did a pen and paint illustration of some teacups balanced as a beautiful vase. I love how sweet this card is and hope she has a wonderful day!

Compass Birthday

For: Gina

Occasion: her birthday 

Gina-beena is among the most adventurous ladies I know! To celebrate her birthday, I created a compass illustration that replaced north, south, east and west with the letters of her name: G, I, N, and A! Whatever direction you go, there Gina wanders. She is such a cool friend and I hope her birthday is awesome! 

Box Birthday

For: Augie 

Occasion: his birthday 

For Augie's birthday card, I connected a bunch of squares to make a pretty neat maze-type-labyrinth that spells out "happy birthday!" I hope he enjoyed his big day and is looking forward to another year of fun and adventure! 

Mountain Thank You

For: The Kasickis

Occasion: Thank You

RJ was super kind in inviting Mike and me to hang out on a bit of their Rocky Mountain vacation! To thank them for the camaraderie and joy, I made this watercolor of the sun setting over our purple mountains, majesty. It was so wonderful to see my my old friend and meet his old friends!

Beer Birthday

For: Alex

Occasion: his birthday 

To help Alex celebrate his birthday, I made a silly illustration of a can of beer holding a cupcake and a birthday balloon! I am rather pleased with how this design came out and hope it helped add to the fun of his big day! 

Dragon Birthday

For: John

Occasion: his birthday 

Becauae John is a fan of DnD and other awesome fandoms, I created a watercolor illustration of a dragon lighting (or failing to blow out) candles on his own birthday cake! I hope John enjoyed the dragonological joke and has a lovely day! 

Cerro Pedernál Thank You

For: Theresa and Scott

Occasion: Thank You

To thank Theresa and Scott for their amazing hospitality and welcoming me to their land, I did a watercolor of the Cerro Pedernál as seen from their property! I had such an incredible and relaxing time hanging out--I cannot wait to go back soon!